Not as rich and full as the best Munich helles lagers are, but crisp and light. Not a lot of smoke in the nose, but the smoke and sweet wood come through more on the palate.Lighter take, with less alcohol, on a helles lager.

Pours golden amber with a slight chill haze than drops off as the beer warms. Fat white head of creamy foam and a a few stray bubbles coming to the top. Good retention and leaves some lace. Nose is subtle but there is a mild scent of grain that is a touch sweet, a faint bit of hop herbal and a lovely little bit of smoke in the background. Taste is pristine, no fruit or off flavors. Light sweet dry malt. Crisp and breaddy. Not very heavy but is the definition of paradox. It envelops the palate softly but not shyly. It is endless and has a breadth that you can barely stand it's so magnificent. No hop bitterness to spoil this truly lovely malt. The smoke enhances the flavor but does not present the palate with meat or bacon flavor. Finishes clean, malty with a touch of sweetness, and a most graceful hops herbal. Gentle, permeating and mild. Only as you are about to finish your pint do you notice a small and mild bitterness that develops over time.

Excellent and I would drink this happily every day. Clean, crisp, lightly sweet and full of enough flavor to keep you interested glass after glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear straw color with nice carbonation streams. The head is two fingers high and white in shade. With an immensely thick and frothy texture, along with excellent retention, it creates an aesthetically pleasing package combined with the streaks of lacing left on the glass. (4.25)

Smell: See, this is seemingly the opposite of the other Schlenkerla rauchbiers, which start off VERY smoky only to turn into their base beer. At first whiff, it smells like a typical helles - notes of cracker, white bread, and slight bubblegum dominate. And then the smoke arrives as a subtle suggestion...and THEN it fully coalesces with the helles base to create something great. (4)

Taste: The smokiness isn't as extreme as other Schlenkerla brews, as expected. It tastes mainly like a good helles lager, balancing notes of lemon, white bread, cracker, and even bubblegum initially. Of course, the finish brings a gentle smokiness in the proper tradition of this brewery. Combined, this becomes pretty much the best helles lager I've ever had. (4)

Mouthfeel: It has a nice fullness for 4.3% - it seems closer to 6%, but without the residual sweetness. That's a fantastic thing. It isn't bone dry, but I don't care. Nor is it spectacularly carbonated - again, don't really care. (4)

Overall: Well here you go, a fantastic way to introduce that special person in your life to the glory of Schlenkerla rauchbiers. Side effects include desiring constant Bamberg vacations, addiction to bacon, weight gain from bacon addiction, creating your own smoker, and burns from the crap job you did making your own smoker. (4)